The Proposal
by Lynse
Summary: Chat Noir comes to Nino with a...proposition. If Nino agrees, Chat Noir will help him get closer to Alya. But why would Chat Noir come to him with something like this in the first place? One-shot. Pre-S2.


A/N: Originally written for ML Fluff Month 2017 (Day 19: Best Friends) and posted to my tumblr. Pre-S2, with a focus on DJWiFi and LadyNoir. And teamwork. *grins* Standard disclaimers apply.

* * *

Nino had thought that he had his life more or less figured out for now, all things considered. School was going as smoothly as could be expected, he was able to hang out with a great group of friends this year, there had been no major family disasters, and he was actually getting a little bit of recognition for his talent as a DJ.

And, despite the Bubbler incident, he'd adapted pretty well to the whole idea that anyone could be turned into a supervillain until Ladybug and Chat Noir managed to save the day.

That had actually been easier to roll with than he'd expected, and some good things had come out of it, like his almost-relationship with Alya.

Sure, he'd been crushing on Marinette, but that had started to change after the incident at the zoo, and while he was definitely not an expert when it came to reading women, he was fairly certain Alya wasn't opposed to the idea.

He was also fairly certain that Alya knew how he felt without him even really having to say anything, because she was Alya, and he doubted anyone could sneak anything past her.

At least, that's what he'd always thought.

But the day Nino came home to find Chat Noir in his room, he was forced to re-evaluate a few things.

The discovery would be disconcerting for anyone and would've been really disturbing were Chat Noir not a superhero, but for Nino…. It was also _weird_.

"Nino, I'm sorry," Chat Noir blurted before Nino had fully registered the intrusion. The hero was sitting crosslegged on his bed and, if Nino had to guess, had sneaked in through the window.

"Wha—?"

Chat Noir nimbly sprang up, closed and locked Nino's bedroom door, and then turned to face him. "We need to talk."

"Uh…." Why did Chat Noir want to talk to him? Nino didn't think he'd done anything to merit the hero's attention. He definitely didn't think he'd done anything to merit a home invasion. Or anything that would cause Chat Noir to figure out who he was and where he lived or, more to the point, _which room was his_.

"Everything's fine," Chat Noir said, as if he could read Nino's mind. "Just hear me out. I have a proposal for you."

"A…proposal?"

Chat Noir nodded, seemingly unaware of how uncomfortable Nino felt. He tried not to fidget, but it was almost impossible. He settled for dropping his bookbag at the foot of the bed and sitting down to watch Chat Noir pace back and forth across the tiny room. This way, he could dig his fingers into the blankets to keep them still and give them something to do, and if he crossed his legs, that meant he couldn't jiggle one of them. Not easily, anyway. With any luck, that would be enough, and Chat Noir wouldn't notice how unnerving this whole scenario was. _Proposal? What_ kind _of proposal?_

"You like Alya, right?"

Nino blinked, flushed, and squeaked, "No!"

Chat Noir wasn't fooled; he stopped his pacing in front of Nino and said, "I can tell you things. About me. About Ladybug. If you give her some information, she'll stick to you like glue until she thinks she knows everything you do, but by then, she'll be so used to working with you that she won't want to stop."

Nino swallowed. "Wh…why? I mean, uh, what do you get? What do you want?" There had to be some catch. Some catch _besides_ the fact that Alya wouldn't rest until she found out where his information was coming from. That was fallout Nino was willing to deal with, because Alya was Alya, and wheedling for information was just part of her personality. He actually admired the talent she had for digging stuff up. Not that he'd told her that yet.

Chat Noir bit his lip. "I want to know everything she gets on Ladybug. The stuff that doesn't get posted to the Ladyblog."

Nino frowned. "Wait, why? I thought you knew everything about her."

Chat Noir laughed. "I know more about _you_ than I know about her."

Okay, that was…more disturbing than comforting. "What? Why?" And then he had another thought, and it was out of his mouth before he could stop it. "Why bother coming to me? Why not just go straight to Alya? She'd probably trade you for information, and you have no guarantee I'll get what you want."

"I trust you, Nino."

That wasn't really an answer, since Chat Noir still needed to trust Alya and the fact that her information was good anyway. "And?"

Chat Noir shrugged. "It's complicated."

"How is it complicated? You know where I live! And I don't even know your name! That can't be normal. Why do you know so much about me?"

This time, he got a sigh. "That's why it's complicated. You have to swear that you won't tell Alya."

Nino stared, but Chat Noir didn't continue, so swearing to secrecy seemed like the only way he was going to get answers. "Okay. I won't tell Alya. Or anyone else, since that kinda sounds implied."

"Promise?"

Nino hesitated. Something about Chat Noir seemed… _off_. And not just because he'd turned up in Nino's room out of the blue. This wasn't the Chat Noir Nino had come to know, albeit mainly through Alya's reports on the Ladyblog or from what he'd seen of the hero in action. This Chat Noir…. He seemed a lot less confident right now than he had been when they'd started this conversation. He seemed…. He seemed _nervous_.

But was it nervousness or just some trick being played on him? Was this even Chat Noir, or a Chat Noir here of his own free will if it was? They didn't know that Ladybug and Chat Noir were immune to the dark magic that sporadically afflicted Paris. What if—

"Nino, _please_."

Something about the way Chat Noir's voice cracked sounded strikingly familiar.

"I'm not asking you to lie. Not to Alya. Just…avoid the question as best you can. She might actually like that, even if it annoys her, because it'll be more interesting for her."

That was an oddly sound assessment of Alya's likely reaction to any dismal attempt Nino might make at evading her.

"How do you know us so well?"

Nino hadn't made any promises of silence, but Chat Noir answered anyway. "You're my friends."

Wait.

Nino had a lot of acquaintances.

All things considered, he didn't have a lot of friends.

So Chat Noir….

Nino gaped.

Chat Noir dropped to the floor and buried his head in his hands. "No one's supposed to know," he mumbled. "You can't tell anyone, not even Alya."

So many things made sense now. The random disappearances, the terrible excuses, the occasional bad pun that crept into his speech…. His bravery and goodness, kindness and sympathy. The ability to ham it up when he had a show or silently step out of the limelight to comfort or reassure those who needed it. His seemingly natural agility that apparently came from years of sports.

And his quick defense of Ladybug, no matter the situation.

Chat Noir looked up at Nino. "Is it wrong," he asked, not quite quashing the quaver in his voice, "to risk everything to find out more about the girl you…the girl you love?"

Nino had had this conversation before, too, and that _also_ made more sense. But one thing didn't, at least if he put aside how impossible the situation seemed in the first place. "I thought you and Ladybug were dating."

Chat Noir shook his head, and Nino could've sworn his ears drooped. "I don't even know who she is."

Well, with Nino's track record, he could talk to her every day and still not have a clue who she was, either, so he could understand the sentiment.

But still.

"I can't believe _you're_ Chat Noir." Nino leaned forward, trying to get a better look at his friend. Trying to _see_ his friend beneath that mask. "Dude, you're my best friend. How blind does that make me?"

Chat Noir laughed. "No one's going to see what they don't think to look for," he pointed out.

"Well, except Alya," Nino reasoned.

Chat Noir frowned. "What?"

"Alya. She suspected you months ago. Had a picture and everything. I kinda laughed her off, and from the glare I got, I think Marinette might've, too. I mean, I never really thought you'd have time for…this. She might've dismissed you after that. I'm not sure." Nino finally got to his feet and, when Chat Noir accepted Nino's offered hand, hauled his friend up as well. "But that means Alya probably has suspicions about Ladybug's identity she hasn't published, too, just like you were thinking."

"I'm counting on that," Chat Noir whispered. "I want to know who she is, but a part of me is terrified of being certain. What if this doesn't work out?"

Nino rolled his eyes. "It'll work. We'll figure out how to make it work. Seriously, though, I know how crazy you are about Ladybug. That's never been a secret. So why not just ask me to do this _without_ sneaking into my room like a crazy person?"

His answer was a sheepish smile, but when Nino returned it with his best 'no, seriously, I wasn't kidding' face, Chat Noir explained, "I thought you'd doubt my information if you didn't know it came from a good source. Considering you'd want assurances that it's good before you passed it on to Alya."

"Right." He wasn't exactly wrong; Nino would've done a bit of pestering when it came to finding out sources, too, if he knew they would have to stand up to Alya's scrutiny. "Okay. So. My best friend is actually a superhero, and he wants to be my wingman, _again_ , so I can return the favour?"

"I won't make a mess of it this time," Chat Noir swore. "And I know Alya doesn't actually know Ladybug's identity any more than I do, but…. Is it terrible if I just want to know more about her? Alya's seen things before that I haven't. If I can just figure out a way to get closer to her, maybe she'll decide to trust me with her identity."

Nino snorted, but at the hurt look on his friend's face, he apologized and said, "I'm still trying to get over the fact that you guys don't know who the other person is. I mean, I can understand the general public. That goes with the whole secret identity thing. And to a certain extent, I get why you didn't tell me before. But doesn't it make sense for you to know about each other?"

"It's still dangerous," muttered Chat Noir.

"Isn't being ignorant _more_ dangerous?"

He got a sort of half shrug in response. "Plagg doesn't exactly give a lot of details."

"Who's Plagg?"

"It might just be easier to introduce you," Chat Noir said, and then he stepped back and mumbled something, and there was a flash of green, and then….

And then there was just Adrien, biting his lip and nervously twisting the ring on his finger—

Twisting _Chat Noir's_ ring, Nino realized.

"Nino, this is Plagg," Adrien said, nodding at…. Nino wasn't entirely sure what it was. _Cat_ couldn't be the right answer, not with antennae and the fact that it was floating a few feet from Adrien, with its arms crossed, ears back, and tail flicking.

"Um…hi?"

The cat-like creature didn't acknowledge him. Instead, it seemed to glare at Adrien. "I thought we went over this," it complained, and Nino jumped when it spoke. "You can't just tell people about me or reveal your identity like this."

"Plagg, he's my best friend. You know that. And he's going to help me find Ladybug."

Bright green eyes abruptly shifted to Nino. "You don't know what you're getting into," it said flatly, "but if I have to explain everything, I want my camembert."

"Uh…. You eat camembert?"

"Don't get him started," Adrien warned, but he was already reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small container of cheese.

Which also explained a lot, seeing as Nino had been pretty sure he'd been smelling it on and off for months but had never actually seen Adrien eating the stuff.

"And you don't need to explain much," Adrien added as he passed the cheese to Plagg. "I've already told Nino my plan."

"Um, actually," Nino interrupted, holding up one finger, "you proposed an information swap. Even though I'm not sure I can reciprocate. And I'm not really sure it'll work in the first place. Alya's going to see right through me, and that'll just get her dangerously close to you."

Plagg had somehow already swallowed his cheese. "You're both willing to try this, aren't you?" He didn't wait for a response. "Then the first thing you need to do…."

* * *

Nino ended up calling Alya that evening on the pretense of meeting up with her and Marinette—and Adrien, of course. If they could get Alya onto the right conversation, Adrien might be able to hear a few theories for himself. But it was Nino's job to guide her there and learn what he could first, and he could see no bridge between that subject and their physics homework, which had somehow come up in conversation.

He ended up waiting for a momentary lull before biting the bullet and risking it by just bringing the subject up, albeit in a roundabout way. Plagg had advised against it, but Nino didn't see any other way. "So, I was thinking," Nino said, shoving his hands into his pockets as he and Alya headed to meet up with Marinette at her place and then circle around to Adrien's, "what if Ladybug and Chat Noir aren't the only ones?" Plagg had said that there were others, or at least that there could be others, though he hadn't really elaborated.

Adrien hadn't been kidding about Plagg not giving a lot of details.

Alya glanced at him. "What do you mean?"

"Maybe they're not the only superheroes."

"Well, they aren't."

Nino had not been expecting that response. "Come again?"

"They can't be," Alya reasoned. "We know they're fighting Hawk Moth, and as far as I can tell, he has a Miraculous like theirs. Besides, they fought Volpina that one time. She might not have been the _real_ Volpina, but you can't look at her design and tell me she isn't based off a real hero. She wasn't like the rest of us. Lady WiFi, the Bubbler…. That was just a matter of circumstance. She's out there, somewhere, the real hero, and I'll bet you she's just like Ladybug and Chat Noir."

Well, this wasn't how Nino had expected the conversation to go, but he might be able to work with it. He should have known better than to have any expectations when it came to Alya, anyway. "Which is?"

Alya stopped walking and turned her full attention to him. "Why are you interested in this now? Usually when I bring this up, you're telling me I should be more careful."

Nino's breath caught and he plastered a smile on his face, though from Alya's look, she wasn't buying it for a second. "I…heard something, that's all."

One eyebrow went up. He had her attention. "Heard what?"

"I think you were right," he said quickly, desperately trying to avoid her question. "About Ladybug and Chat Noir being ordinary people instead of some, I dunno, protectors who've been around since at least ancient Egypt. I mean, I don't think they're the same people now that they were then. So it would make sense that there are more of them out there somewhere. And…and it would make sense that Ladybug and Chat Noir could be anyone." He forced a laugh, and it sounded nervous even to his own ears. "I mean, who knows? Maybe you were right and Adrien _is_ Chat Noir. So who'd be his Ladybug?"

Alya stared at him. "What exactly did you hear?" she finally asked.

"Just speculation," he hedged.

Alya crossed her arms.

"People were throwing out names about who could be Ladybug and Chat Noir," he clarified, hoping that sounded plausible enough. "I thought…. I dunno. I didn't recognize any of them. But I remember when you thought Chat Noir might be Adrien."

"And, what, you're ready to admit that they really do look alike now?"

Nino gave what he hoped was a noncommittal shrug. "I'm actually kinda wondering who you'd pegged as Ladybug. Assuming she's actually someone we've met."

Alya snorted. "I've considered everyone from Chloé to Marinette. I've _had_ to. No one quite fits, though."

Nino frowned. "Haven't Chloé and Ladybug been seen together a lot?"

"That's my problem. Every time I get a suspect, I do some digging and realize I've seen them with Ladybug. Marinette was probably one of the hardest people to rule out, actually, but the Horrificator had captured her, and when I thought about it, I remembered she was practically beside me when Ladybug turned up to fight Timebreaker." Alya sighed. "She's probably someone I don't know, just like Chat Noir, which makes this whole thing like searching for a couple of needles in a very large haystack."

Except Adrien was Chat Noir, and Alya believed he'd been captured by the Horrificator, too. Nino wasn't about to correct her, though. Plagg had made it very clear that Nino wasn't to give Alya _any_ inkling as to Chat Noir's secret identity, and Nino didn't want to argue with very sharp teeth and claws.

Besides, surprisingly enough, Plagg's modifications to Adrien's overall plan seemed to be working.

"C'mon, you don't know that," Nino said, giving Alya a playful nudge. She rolled her eyes and started walking again, but he'd caught up to her in two long strides. "With the way they keep turning up around our school, one of them probably lives nearby." He swallowed, suddenly nervous, and offered, "Maybe I can help you look sometime?"

He got a sidelong look in response. "Because you want to know who Ladybug and Chat Noir are? Or just Ladybug?"

Neither. Because he wanted to spend time with her. And because _Adrien_ wanted to know who Ladybug was.

Alya laughed, and Nino released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Or because," she added in between giggles, "you're asking on behalf of someone else?"

Okay, it was official. Nino had _no idea_ how Adrien had managed to fool Alya, especially after she'd guessed he might be Chat Noir.

"But that would be great, you know." Alya's smile had softened, and Nino's heart did a funny little flutter as she looked at him. "I'd love to have your help." Then she winked. "And you have my full permission to tell Adrien everything we come up with that's even remotely connected to Ladybug unless I say otherwise. Deal?"

He couldn't believe this had worked, even with Alya seeing through the plan. "Deal."


End file.
